Author Archives: georgefishman2

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,708) Climax Chicago Blues Band — “Please Don’t Help Me” This Chicago Blues Band — from Stafford, England! — gives us “a killer old-school electric blues jam”, “[c]omplete with blues harp and organ” and “some pretty awesome musical passages” (Gary Hill, https://www.musicstreetjournal.com/artists_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=106899) thatContinue reading “Climax Chicago Blues Band — “Please Don’t Help Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 4, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,707) The Outer Limits — “Help Me Please” “Fantastic Mod Beat! Sound a bit Paul Weller!” (EdwinJack64, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aND8l6A3b0U) This “jumpy party-starter” (Fred Thomas, https://www.allmusic.com/album/just-one-more-chance-the-anthology-1965-1968-mw0004589462) is “threatening, guitar heavy” (John Reed, liner notes to the CD comp Decca Originals: The Freakbeat Scene) and glorious!Continue reading “The Outer Limits — “Help Me Please”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 3, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,706) The Primitives — “Help Me” This “real scorcher[]” (N.E. Fulcanwright, liner notes to the CD comp Freakbeat Freakout) is “a classic blast of punky mod/r’n’b” (happening45, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlaqM43d8M&pp=ygUWVGhlIHByaW1pdGl2ZXMgaGVscCBtZQ%3D%3D) that sounds positively primitive next to Sonny Boy Williamson’s original. Bruce Eder can’t get enough:Continue reading “The Primitives — “Help Me”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 2, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,705) Neoton — “Bolond Város”/”Crazy City” “[S]uperb popsike from behind the iron curtain!” (MushroomMachineClub, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86CeLcUSAs) — from the band that would become Hungary’s ABBA! Mikhail Badanin and Kirill Babanin tell us (translated by Andrey Sinelnikov): The history of Neoton Familia started long agoContinue reading “Neoton — “Bolond Város”/”Crazy City”Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 1, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,704) Supertramp — “Words Unspoken” Long before Supertramp conquered the airwaves, it gave us “simply a beautiful song” (Cesar Inca, https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1249) with “quite a beautiful melody” (TCat, https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=1249), an “attractive . . . mixture of ardor and subtlety”. (Mike DeGagne, https://www.allmusic.com/album/supertramp-mw0000191983) “[O]ne ofContinue reading “Supertramp — “Words Unspoken”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 31, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,703) Nat Turner Rebellion — “Love, Peace and Understanding” What’s so funny about love, peace and understanding? “The spirited social commentary” of this incredibly inventive ’70 A-side “calls for harmony” (Fred Thomas, https://www.allmusic.com/album/laugh-to-keep-from-crying-mw0003267247) — despite the Philly soul/funk band’s provocative name and blackContinue reading “Nat Turner Rebellion — “Love, Peace and Understanding”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 30, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,702) October Country — “End of the Line” A kiss-off song disguised as winsome L.A. sunshine pop! Renowned producer, arranger, songwriter and musician Michael Lloyd wrote this song with future Three Dog Nighter Jimmy Greenspoon. After they released it in ’67 as theContinue reading “October Country — “End of the Line”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 29, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,701) Octopus — “Girlfriend” This ’69 B-side is a very sweet and wistful song about a young man’s looking back at his youth as he grows up. It predates the UK late psych group’s wonderful album Restless Night (see #759, 1,056). “I’ve been aContinue reading “Octopus — “Girlfriend”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 28, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,700) The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “World’s on Fire” Light some incense and pop some peppermints, here is an “epic psychedelic jam” (The Recoup, https://therecoup.com/2013/11/01/strawberry-alarm-clock-incense-and-peppermintswake-up-its-tomorrow-tune-in/) off of the SAC’s (see #127, 272, 901, 1,111) first LP that “the listener is assured of gettingContinue reading “The Strawberry Alarm Clock — “World’s on Fire”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 27, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,699) The Koobas — “Royston Rose” This “[o]utstanding piece of Mod/Psych!” ( EdwinJack64, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__wcl2UUcM), is a “[p]owerhouse psych rocker, not forgetting its mod roots . . . their crowning achievement” (happening45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpZGu6VOSuw), “resplendent in rippling guitar parts, lots of fuzz-tone, searing breaks thatContinue reading “The Koobas — “Royston Rose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 26, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,698) The Majority — “Charlotte Rose” The Majority’s (see #1,440, 1,624) “particularly impressive” (Stefan Granados, liner notes to the CD comp Majority One: Rainbow Rocking Chair) song is a “fab slice of Pop-sike” (liner notes to the CD comp Fading Yellow Vol. 4:Continue reading “The Majority — “Charlotte Rose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 25, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,697) The Kinks — “Rosemary Rose” The Kinks (see #100, 381, 417, 450, 508, 529, 606, 623, 753, 865, 978, 1,043, 1,108, 1,302, 1,330, 1,591) give us “a real joy” (David Levesley, https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-kinks-songs), “two minutes of pure genius” (MickBokulich-gg1ro, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmuKGpxYpAs), “a great song, the kindContinue reading “I Shall Be Released: The Kinks — “Rosemary Rose”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 24, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,696) Stone Country — “Time Isn’t There (Anymore)” Exquisite ’67 folk rock A-side from Stone Country, one of outlaw country great-to-be Steve Young’s first bands — “an accomplished, jangly guitar number with a fine melody” and “excellent vocal harmonies out front”. (bayard, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/stone-country/time-isnt-there-anymore-life-stands-daring-me/)Continue reading “Stone Country — “Time Isn’t There (Anymore)”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 23, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,695) Tracy Rogers — “Baby” British actress Tracy Rogers gifts us a “glorious” (Mikey Dread, https://www.45cat.com/record/bm56077) and “great version of the Sorrows” [see #407, 567, 1,597] song. (teabiscuit, https://www.45cat.com/record/bm56077) “Oh Yeah. Cool as f*ck. (tonymack66, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiO6azwjQhg) Indeed! I love the Sorrows, but RogersContinue reading “Tracy Rogers — “Baby”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 22, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,694) Ernie K-Doe — “A Certain Girl” An Allen Toussaint-written “classic[] of New Orleans R&B with the same laid-back, sheepish finesse that made ‘Mother-In-Law’ such a hit” (John Bush, https://www.allmusic.com/album/absolutely-the-best-mw0000016107), which, along with its B-side (“I’ve Cried My Last Tear”), gave us “oneContinue reading “Ernie K-Doe — “A Certain Girl”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 21, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,692) Lee Mallory — “Take My Hand” This “joyous explosion of pop” (Andrew Sandoval, liner notes to the CD comp A Whole Lot of Rainbows: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults), as instantly appealing as “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, wasContinue reading “Lee Mallory — “Take My Hand”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 20, 2025”

Tom Jones performing on the British television series “The Beat Room” on October 5, 1964 THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD Man, this song gives me chills and fever. Ronald Dunbar (“Ronnie Love”) released the original version as a soul A-side at the end of ’60, then two scintillatingContinue reading “Chills and Fever Special Edition: Ronnie Love/Tom Jones/The Serfmen: “Chills and Fever”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 19, 2025″

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,689) Peter Tilbrook — “All Mine to Play With” Ex-Masters Apprentice [see #297, 1,688] guitarist/bassist rips it up with a “superb fuzz psych” (Popsike.com, https://www.popsike.com/PETER-TILBROOK-All-Mine-To-Play-With-FANTASTIC-OZ-FUZZ-PSYCH-SOLO-45-HEAR/331633292550.html) solo B-side, “[a] ton o’ fuzz – monster”. (narinderdhanjal221, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTikC8cO_I8) Indeed. Oh, and it’s funky as heck. PeterContinue reading “Peter Tilbrook — “All Mine to Play With”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 18, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,688) The Master’s Apprentices — “Brigette” This pop psych/baroque pop masterwork by Australia’s Master’s Apprentices (see #297) reached #27 in Melbourne. It was “the first [Doug] Ford/[Jim] Keays collaboration and it was a[] pleasant dose of flowerpop with a Beatlesque melody line, waftingContinue reading “The Master’s Apprentices — “Brigette”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 17, 2025”

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD 1,687) Zoot — “Little Roland Lost” Classic Australian pop psych pre-Rick Springfield, written by band members Beeb Birtles and Darryl Cotton with a guitar solo by the Twilights’ (see #563, 1,667) Terry Britten. The chorus “I’m lost, I’m lost, find me” found itsContinue reading “Zoot — “Little Roland Lost”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — August 16, 2025”